Five-Year-Old Girl With Down Syndrome And Cancer Has a Priceless Reaction To Seeing Her Self-Portrait

Celia Furtado, who has Down syndrome, was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma back in April. Since her health struggles began, her mood shifted. But after seeing a portrait of herself taken last fall, her mom, Katie Furtado, says Celia can't stop smiling.

"A lot of her personality was put on hold for quite a few months, but like I said to someone the other day, 'She's back,'" Furtado told ABC News .

"I have a nephew with Down syndrome and I wanted to do something to raise awareness," Kilgus told ABC News. "I thought it would be cool to do a mini shoot, so I contacted the director about it and the Furtados were one of the families that took us up on our offer."

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On October 1, Laura hosted a gallery for Down Syndrome Awareness Month at the Warwick Public Library. Katie said that her daughter's face instantly lit up when she looked at her portrait on the wall.

"When she saw it, she started screaming and pointing to herself. I think the whole world looks at Celia differently now since she doesn't have any hair and she's lost a lot of weight, but I was relieved that Celia still sees Celia," Katie said.